The Mighty Quinns: Dermot-Dex

“I need to find work,” he said. “I can’t keep sponging off of you.”

“You’re working for me,” Maddie said. “You’re like my bodyguard and tour manager and traveling companion all in one. I can pay you.” She drew a deep breath. “All right, let’s just get this whole money thing out of the way.”

“Money thing?”

“Yes. You always come back to it and I want to put it all out on the table. How much do you need to make? Now, think carefully because I want it to be enough so that we never have to discuss this again. And I don’t ever want to hear you whining about how much we’re spending. We spend what we spend. End of story.”

“I don’t need you to pay me.”

“But you said you had to find work. And I want you to work for me. For as long as you can.” She paused. “Six weeks. How much would that cost?”

“Six weeks?” Kieran said.

Maddie smiled. “All right. Six weeks.”

“I have to spend some of that time in Bitney.”

“We will. We’ll go there after New York.”

A knock sounded on their cabin door and Maddie jumped up to open it. The attendant stood outside. “Dinner will be served in an hour. Is there anything I can get you?”

Maddie shook her head. “We’re fine. How long before we get to New York?”

“Arrival time is 10:00 p.m. tomorrow night,” he said. He turned to leave, then stopped. “By the way, you might be interested in knowing that we have a celebrity on the train. Some country singer named Maddie West. I don’t know who she is, but some of the passengers said they saw her get onboard. If you see her, let me know. They all want an autograph.”

Maddie swallowed hard, her spirits falling. “I’ve never heard of her,” she said.

“Well, we don’t often have celebrities onboard. They usually fly.” He shrugged. “If you need anything, just call. I’ll be back to turn down your bed later.”

“Thanks,” Maddie said. She shut the door behind him, then turned to Kieran. “We have to get off this train.”

“Why? There’s no reason. We’ll just stay in our cabin and get off at Cincinnati, like we planned.”

She shook her head. “No. I want to get off at the next stop.”

“Maddie, no one has to see you. You’ll be fine.”

She cursed softly. “You told me you wouldn’t argue. That we’d go wherever I wanted to go.”

“I know I said that,” Kieran countered. “But this is crazy.”

“Well, so what. I’m crazy. You knew that from the start so don’t act so surprised now. I don’t want to be trapped on this train. We’ll get off at the next stop and we’ll figure out what to do from there.”

“You can’t run forever,” he said.

“I can try.”

“I thought you were going to call your mother and let her know you were safe.”

“I don’t want to talk to her,” Maddie said, leaning back against the door. “I know what she’s going to say to me. She’s going to tell me I have to get back in the studio and work on the next album. And then, she’s going to tell me about the tour she’s been planning for Japan and Australia. She thinks I don’t know about it, but that I won’t be able to say no if it’s all planned. That’s what she does. She makes it so I have no choice. But now, I have a choice and I want to get off this train.”

“All right,” Kieran said. “We’ll get off at the next stop.”

Maddie nodded, relieved that he finally agreed. Everything had been so perfect, she didn’t want to risk spoiling it all. If he saw—if he knew—what her celebrity life was like, he’d run in the opposite direction as fast as he could.

“How long do we have?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I could ask the attendant.”

“No. We’ll just get off.” She sat down next to him. “I’m sorry. I know you should have a say in this, but you don’t know what it’s like. It’s overwhelming. Everyone wants something—an autograph, a photo, a chance to say hello. And I can do that, I love to do it, when I’m in the right mood. But I don’t want to do that now. I don’t want to smile and be nice. I just want us to have this time alone.”

“All right,” Kieran said.

He held out his hand and Maddie snuggled against his body. “I’m a bad person,” she murmured.

“Yes, you are,” he said.

Maddie pushed back, shocked by his glib agreement. Kieran chuckled, then dropped a kiss on her lips. “You pay me to agree with you, Maddie. I’m just doing my job.” He paused, then kissed her again, this time lingering over her mouth, his tongue tracing the crease between her lips. “You’re not a bad person, Maddie. You’re the best person I’ve ever met.

The best.”

He always knew exactly what to say to her to make her feel better. “I don’t want to seem ungrateful,” she said hesitantly. “Because I’m not. These people who buy my CDs and come to my concerts, they’re just wonderful. They’ve made my life what it is. But sometimes, it doesn’t feel like it’s my life. It feels like theirs. And I get … resentful. And then guilty. And then depressed. It’s just one big pile of negative emotions.”

“That’s understandable,” he said. “You deserve to have a life outside your profession. Everyone does.”

“You always say the right thing,” Maddie said.

“I’m just telling you the truth. Now, don’t you think you should call your mother and tell her you’re all right?”

Maddie shook her head. “She’ll just yell at me and tell me I have to come back. I’ll feel guilty and then I’ll give in. You don’t know my mother. She knows exactly what buttons to push.”

“But she is still your mother. She’s probably sick with worry.”

Maddie knew that contacting her mother would be risky. She’d have to turn on her phone and no doubt there’d be hundreds of texts and messages waiting for her. They saw each other every single day and she still managed to send Maddie ten or twenty texts each day.

“She’s like this dark cloud that hangs over me all the time. And I kind of like being out in the sunshine.”

“Then get rid of the dark cloud,” he said.

She held her BlackBerry out to him. “You do it. That way, I don’t have to look at the messages. Just tell her that I’m fine. I’m taking a break and I’ll call her next week.”

“All right.”

Maddie waited as Kieran typed in the text. “Send,” he murmured. He glanced up. “Do you want to wait for a reply?”

She shook her head. “No. Just shut it off. I’ll deal with it later. Hopefully, she won’t send the FBI after us.”

Kieran gave her a dubious look. “She’d do that?”

“You don’t know my mother. I’m sure she’d try her best to avoid a big scandal. But if it’s the only way to get me back, who knows what she’ll think of.” She drew a deep breath and let it out. “I do feel better now. That dark cloud is gone.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you.”

“I’m just here to please,” Kieran said with a wicked smile.

“Then you better get to work on that. We don’t have much time left and I’ve never done it on a train.”

KIERAN GRABBED MADDIE’S hand as they jumped off the train just a few moments before it began to pull away from the station. He glanced around. The station wasn’t much, just a small shack not much bigger than a one-car garage. There wasn’t even a ticket agent inside. “Well, this is strange,” he murmured.

“Where are we?” Maddie asked.

“Dyer, Indiana.”

“Maybe we should have waited,” she murmured, taking in their surroundings.

“No, it’s all right. There’s a phone booth over there. We’ll find a car rental place and give them a call. They’ll bring a car over and we’ll be on our way.” They walked over to the phone booth only to find that the phone book was missing.

“Do you have internet on your phone?” Kieran asked.

Maddie shook her head. “I could call information.”

“It looks like there’s a busy street on the other side of the tracks. Let’s walk over there and find someplace for dinner and we’ll get our plans together. If we find a gas station, we can ask for a phone book there.”

Kieran grabbed her bag and hung it over his shoulder along with his, then took her hand. Maddie grabbed her guitar and they started down the long sidewalk next to the tracks. They crossed over when they found a spot leading to the parking lot. To Kieran’s relief, they had their choice between a pizza place, a bowling alley and a sports bar.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Definitely bowling,” Maddie said with a smile. “I’ve always wanted to give it a try.”

They walked through the parking lot and Kieran opened the front door for her, but Maddie paused. “You take the guitar. Give me my bag.”

“Good idea. But if anyone asks me to play, we’re going to be in trouble.”

The place was busy, but no one seemed to notice their arrival. They walked to the bar and sat down, Kieran dropping the bags and guitar at their feet. He ordered a beer and Maddie asked for a Coke.

She glanced around uneasily, fiddling with her hair and trying to blend in with the surroundings. Kieran took her hand. “What?”

“They’re playing my song,” she whispered, pointing overhead.

Kieran listened to the tune over the sound system and grinned. He’d never heard her music before but he should have known it was Maddie. It sounded exactly like her. “Wow. That’s pretty nice. You’re going to have to sing that one for me sometime.”

When the bartender returned with their drinks, Kieran paid him, then nodded. “We just got off the train and we need a car. Is there a rental place around here?”

The bartender nodded. “Sure is. There’s one out by the airport. Enterprise, I think. And there’s another the next town over. I have a buddy who owns a used-car lot there. He also has rental cars if you don’t want to go with one of the chains.”

“We’re going to need a cab, too,” Kieran said. “To get to the rental agency.”

The bartender chuckled. “Well now, that’s a different story. This isn’t exactly Chicago, although we’re almost considered a suburb these days. But, hey, I’m off work in another hour. If you stick around, maybe bowl a few frames, I can call my buddy and let him know I’m going to bring you around. It’s not far. A few miles down the road.”

“That would be great,” Kieran said. “Thanks.”

“Can I get you anything to eat?” he asked.

“Sure,” Maddie said. “I could eat.”

The bartender stared at her for a long moment, his forehead furrowed into deep lines. “Do I know you?”

Maddie shook her head and quickly took a drink, hiding behind the glass. “I don’t think so. This is the first time I’ve ever been to Dyer.”

“Lots of people say she looks like that country singer, Maddie West,” Kieran said. Maddie kicked him beneath the bar and Kieran tried not to wince. “She lets it go to her head sometimes.”

The bartender shook his head. “Nope, that’s not it. I’ve seen Maddie West in concert and she looks nothing like you. Maddie West has long blond hair.

And she’s a lot taller than you are. And a little bonier. Someone needs to feed that girl a burger or two.”

“Bony? You think Maddie West is bony?” Maddie asked.

“That’s a compliment,” Kieran teased, giving her a playful shove. “He’s paying you a compliment.”

“Thank you,” Maddie muttered. “That’s real nice.”

“My name is Jake,” the bartender said as he set a menu in front of them both. “When you’re ready, I’ll send a waitress over.”

“I think we should bowl,” Maddie said after Jake wandered away. “I feel kind of conspicuous sitting here. You know, kind of … bony.”

“You think you’re conspicuous now? Wait until we’re out there. The last time I bowled, I was—” He shook his head. “I was just a kid. We used those big bumpers on the lane. You think they’ll let me use those?”

“No! But how hard can it be? You pick up the ball and roll it down the thing and then it knocks those posts down.”

Kieran laughed. “You sound like an expert. The thing is an alley and those posts are pins. And I don’t know how to score.”

“Yeah, well, scoring has never been a problem for you,” she teased. “Besides, we don’t need to keep track. We’ll just see how many pins we can knock down.” She jumped up from her stool and grabbed his hand. “Come on. It will be fun.”

Kieran picked up their belongings then grabbed his beer. They walked over to the counter and rented two pairs of shoes. Then they found their spot on the third alley.

Maddie stared down at the shoes. “I have to wear someone else’s shoes? Why?”

“You can’t bowl in those sandals. These are specially made to protect the alleys.”

“But they’re really ugly,” she said. “And who knows what kind of germs are in there.” She lifted them up and sniffed them, then shook her head.

“They’ve been disinfected,” Kieran assured her. “Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to bowl without them.”

“But I don’t have socks. I’m not putting my bare feet inside those shoes.”

“Then go buy a pair of socks,” he said. “They had some at the counter.”

She held out her hand and he gave her some cash. “More,” she said, wiggling her fingers.

By the time she returned, Kieran had his shoes on and had selected a ball. She sat down, placing a shoe box between them. “What’s that?”

“I bought my own shoes,” she said. “I’m not putting someone else’s smelly old things on my feet. And if you bring up the expense, I’m going to throw the old ones at your head.”

They spent the next hour drinking beer, munching on fried food and trying to bowl. Kieran couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so hard. They were both ridiculously bad, rarely keeping the ball out of the gutter. There was one high point, though. Maddie slipped as she released the ball and rolled a perfect strike. Of course, she couldn’t do it again.

It amazed him they could enjoy something so simple. He’d always assumed that the whole purpose of dating was to impress a woman with how cool and sophisticated he was. He’d never approached it as a chance to have fun. Maybe he’d just been dating the wrong kind of women.

“This is for the game,” Maddie said, pointing to the score projected above the lane. “It’s 31 to 29. If I knock down three pins, I think I’ll beat you.”

She rolled her first ball down the alley and it clattered into the gutter. Dejected, she returned and plopped down next to him. “You win,” she conceded.

“You get another ball,” he said, pointing to the scoreboard.

“Really?”

Kieran nodded. “And when you throw, try not to twist your wrist as you let the ball go. I think that’s why it always goes in the thing.”

“The gutter,” she said. Maddie held the ball up in front of her face. “See, this is how you do it.” She took three steps and rolled the ball down the lane. To Kieran’s surprise, it stayed in the center and knocked down nine pins.

Their celebration was short-lived. Jake appeared a few moments later with his offer of a ride and Kieran and Maddie gathered up their things and hurried outside.

“So, you folks want the Enterprise out at the airport or my buddy with the used-car lot?”

“We should probably stick with Enterprise,” Kieran said. “Then we can return the car anywhere we want.”

Jake nodded. “I see your point.”

They drove down a long avenue, lined with commercial buildings and restaurants. Kieran glanced back at Maddie who sat in the backseat of the extended cab. She stared out the window, her brow furrowed, her expression unreadable.

“We really appreciate this,” Kieran said. “We sort of got off the train, not knowing what was—”

“Stop!” Maddie cried.

Jake slammed on the brakes and the pickup skidded to a stop. “What?” he shouted.

“We’ll get out here,” Maddie said. She grabbed her bag from beside her and pushed on the back of Kieran’s seat. “Here. Right here.”

Kieran looked around. “There’s nothing here but a couple of used car—”

“I’ve decided against renting a car,” Maddie said. “I want to buy one.”

“Well, if you’re lookin’ to buy a car, then I got to take you to see my buddy. He’ll give you a real good deal. His place is just a mile down the road.”

“All right,” Maddie said. “Let’s go.”

A few minutes later, they both hopped out of the truck. “You just tell Ernie that Jake sent you. He’ll give you a good deal.” The bartender waved as he drove off, leaving them both standing on the sidewalk.

“What the hell are we doing?” Kieran asked.

“I don’t have a car. I want to learn how to drive. So I think it’s about time I buy one.” She smiled at him. “Good plan, right?”

“A used car?”

“Hey, you’re starting to rub off on me. A new car would cost too much. A used car costs less.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along across the street.

“Maddie, you don’t just buy a car on a whim. You have to shop around, especially with used cars. A new car would be more dependable, it would have a warranty and be more fuel efficient and—”

“Stop,” Maddie said. “Look at all these cars. I’m sure I can find something I like here.”

A crazy mixture of cars littered the lot. Kieran didn’t know where to start. “Are you sure you have enough money—”

“Stop worrying about money!” Maddie cried. “I have enough to buy a used car.”

“Do you have any idea how much one of these costs?”

“Less than a new car. And I suppose it would depend upon how used the car was. I’ll know what I want when I see it.”

Kieran pulled her to a stop and took her guitar from her hand, setting it at her feet. “Here’s the deal. Buying a used car is a risky proposition at best. You don’t know anything about cars. So, this time around, rather than buying whatever strikes your fancy, I want you to take some advice. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes,” Maddie said, nodding in agreement. “I’ll let you do all the talking.”

The salesman introduced himself and Kieran mentioned they were looking for a good deal on a car and that Jake had directed them here. Maddie had already wandered off to look on her own. “We’re looking for something that gets good mileage, easy to drive. It has to have air and a decent sound system. Maybe an SUV. Or a sporty sedan. I’m not—”

“I want this one!” Maddie shouted. “Right over here.”

He and Ernie both turned to find her pointing to an old Cadillac convertible in a startling shade of bubblegum-pink. Kieran walked over to her, Eddie hard on his heels.

“This is the one,” Maddie said. “How much is it?”

“Why, that’s fifteen thousand,” Ernie said. “Now that’s a real nice car. Vintage, low miles. It was owned by a nice young lady from over in Crown Point. Her boyfriend, an older gentleman, bought it for her and had it all tuned up and painted. They broke up and he sold it to me. It’s a classic Caddy. Convertible, tail fins, smooth ride.”

“I love it,” Maddie said, her eyes bright, her smile infectious.

Kieran grabbed her arm. “Could you excuse us for a moment? We just need to discuss a few things.”

“Right,” Ernie said. “I’m just going to go get the keys so you can take it for a test drive. You’re gonna love it.”

Kieran watched him leave, then bent close to Maddie. “I thought you were going to let me do the talking.”

“I was. But then I saw this car. It’s a sign. I have to have it. It’s a pink Cadillac.”

“I can see that.”

“You know. The song, ‘Pink Cadillac’? I sang it on my first album. This is the car for me. I want this one.”

“It’s pink, it’s forty years old, it probably gets about five miles to the gallon and it’s got rear wheel drive which will be impossible on ice and snow.”

“Well, I like pink, it’s vintage, I’m not going to drive it cross country so I don’t care how much gas costs, and I just won’t drive when it snows. I want you to buy this one for me.” She reached into her pocket and gave him her debit card. “There’s more than enough in the account to cover it,” she added.

“At least let me check it out?”

Maddie nodded, watching nervously as Kieran slowly circled the car, examining it closely. “It looks clean, no rust.”

“The interior is spotless,” Ernie said, returning with the keys. “And the engine purrs like a kitten. It was overhauled at 30,000 miles.”

“A kitten,” Maddie said. “It’s a beautiful car.”

“It’s a car,” Kieran agreed. “But it’s pink. That’s going to hurt the resale value.”

“It’s cute,” Maddie insisted, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Yeah,” the salesman said. “We get that comment a lot. Not the cute thing, but the re-sale value. So, let me cut off a thousand from the sticker price. I’ll give it to you for fourteen.”

“We’ll take it,” Maddie said.

“No, we won’t,” Kieran countered. “Not until we take it for a spin.”

She gave Kieran a seductive smile as she ran her hand over the white leather seat. “Baby, don’t you wonder what it feels like in the back of my pink Cadillac? See, this car is sexy. This is my car.”

Kieran groaned inwardly as he stepped closer. Was it even worth trying to rein her in? If she wanted to blow her money on a pink car, who was he to complain? “It does have a nice big backseat,” he conceded in a low voice. “But you can’t let him know you love it.”

“Why not?” she whispered.

“Because, it’s all part of the art of negotiation,” he said. “Leave it to me. You never pay full price for a used car.”

“But he just gave us a thousand off. If you negotiate me out of this car, you’re going to have to do some talking to get yourself back into my good graces,” she warned. “And that includes the bedroom. Now, are you willing to take that risk?”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now wipe that smile off your face and go look at that rusty old pickup. And don’t say anything. Got it?”

“Got it,” Maddie said.

5

“I THOUGHT YOU were going to be quiet,” Kieran shouted over the sound of the wind.

They were driving south on I-65, the top down, the warm breeze blowing around them. In the west, the sky was aflame with pinks and purples as the sun set on a beautiful August day.

“Me? Quiet? You were asking the impossible. Besides, you have to admit, this car is seriously cool. It’s perfect for me. It’s got some attitude. And it’s worth every dollar we paid for it.”

“Now you just have to learn to drive it.”

“And you’re going to teach me,” she said. “We make a good team, don’t we?”

Kieran reached over and wove his fingers through the hair at her nape, pulling her toward him for a quick kiss. Maddie smiled, then sank back into the soft leather seats. How had life gone from worrisome to wonderful in just a few short days? She was happy, she was content. All the concerns that had plagued her last week had disappeared and she felt free for the first time since she was a kid.

“So where are we going?” Kieran asked. “Besides south.”

“Bitney,” Maddie said. “I want to see my grandparents. I’m growing tired of the road. And since you’re going to teach me to drive, I’m going teach you how to ride a horse.”

He nodded. “All right. If we don’t stop, we can probably get there sometime after midnight. Do you need to call your grandparents and let them know you’re coming?”

“That would require turning on my phone,” she said. “And I just don’t want to look at it yet.”

“Then why don’t we find a place to stay tonight and we’ll surprise them tomorrow morning?”

Maddie nodded. “Hey, I’m sorry I messed up your negotiations for the car. I’m sometimes a little impatient. But, I promise I’ll let you negotiate next time. I won’t say a word.”

“I suppose I should just be happy that we didn’t buy six cars so you could try them all out before you decided which one you wanted.”

“Ha, ha,” she said. “You think you know me so well, don’t you?”

“There is one thing,” Kieran said, reaching out to grab her hand. He pulled it to his lips and kissed her wrist. “That card you gave me to pay for the car. It was for a Sarah M. Westerfield. And that’s the name you signed.”

“I’m named after my grandmother,” she said. “My middle name is Madeline. My mother thought Sarah Westerfield wasn’t a good name for a country star so from the time I was fourteen, she’s been calling me Maddie West.”